Music To My Ears

Many of you may not know this but way back when (circa 2008), before I became an astrologer, I was a part of the indie art scene here in NYC for a few years. I wrote poetry, I dabbled in filmmaking, I performed onstage and at open mics, I went to all the underground art shows and indie concerts. And then somewhere along the line, I kind of fell out of love with the scene and gave that part of myself up as I moved on to pursuing a new direction in my life and career.

Then, about two months ago, I received an email from a very talented musician and composer, Marquis Hill. Marquis had the idea to do an astrology themed album and invited me to collaborate with him on it. I jumped at the opportunity. Not only did I love Marquis’ work and thought it would be cool to be a part of this project, but I knew that doing this would help me tap back into a part of myself that I’d been disconnected from for a very long time. Turns out my intuition was right.

Download Soul Sign by Marquis Hill.

Trumpeter, Composer and Producer, Marquis Hill releases a 12 track cosmic musical journey through the zodiacs in the form of a spoken word infused beat tape.

“ A yearning to learn more about the Zodiac - types and celestial influence for The Good - I’ve been inspired toward a fresh project. In its place, this extended spiritual knowledge of self is crucial in our lifetime. Collaborating with astrologers Mecca Woods and Boro the Lucky Libra - both hailing from the Bronx - we developed tracks that musically impressionize each Zodiac sign.

Here, jazz, spoken word and hip hop orbits and dances together. Each track is quite different, consistent with the often vast differences among the Zodiac signs and their types. Recorded during quarantine life, in Boston, NYC, and Chicago, this project underscores resilient elementals, energies in terms of fire, water, air, and earth”

Why It's Important To Go Beyond Your Sun Sign

If you're the slightest bit interested in astrology and have ever engaged someone in conversation about it you've probably heard one or more of the following: 

"I'm a Taurus, and we're the best!" or "Oh my god, I cannot stand Geminis!" or "You're a Libra? What are they supposed to be about?" or "Well, all I know is that I'm a Pisces." 

Thanks to popular astrology it's safe to assume that nearly everyone is familiar with their Sun sign--BUT--what if I told you that you had a complete birth chart where nine other main cosmic bodies (in more than one sign) work in tandem with your Sun placement, to provide a framework of the the talents you were born with? For example, did you know that you have a Rising sign (public persona), a Moon sign (emotions), a Venus sign (love and wealth), a Mars sign (sex drive and aggression), and even a Mercury sign (thought process and communication style) that all come together in your chart to help you to express your uniqueness?

If you were to look at my chart, you would see that in addition to my Sagittarius Sun I also have my Mars in Leo and my Mercury in Capricorn. In loose terms this means I act like a star and think like a businesswoman ( ha! I smell a book deal!). Or how about my Aries sun daughter with a Mars in Taurus which makes her shall we say, EXTRA persistent when it comes to getting what she wants. (I'm almost certain this kid works for the Mafia. Ha! Kidding. Sort of.)

sample birth chart.

Anyway, as per the birth chart; quite simply it's a snapshot of the sky at the exact time and place you were born. At that time the stars, planets, and asteroids were transiting through at least 5 different zodiac signs creating your special astro-blend. Each of those planets then "fall" in different areas of your chart known as Houses. These houses (one for each zodiac sign) correspond to different areas of your life; the sign that rules each house will show how those areas or houses are maintained.

This is why when we focus solely on our Sun signs or keep ourselves closed off from other signs, we run the risk of severely limiting our awareness of ourselves and others. 

At its core, astrology helps us to recognize the human being as a complete, multidimensional entity; to understand humanness in all of its complexity, contradiction, and beauty.  When we allow room for complexity, we allow each other room to be who we are.

So, who are you?

Listen to this while you think it over: